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EHR Incentive Programs

The Official Web Site for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Programs

The Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Care Record (EHR) Incentive Programs provide incentive payments to eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) as they adopt, implement, upgrade or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
Important Announcements and Dates for the EHR Incentive Programs:

January 29, 2015: CMS intends to modify requirements for Meaningful Use – On January 29, CMS announced its intent to engage in rulemaking to update the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs beginning in 2015. Intended program changes are outlined in this blog post from Deputy Administrator for Innovation & Quality and CMS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patrick Conway.

CMS will allow hospitals participating in the Medicare Electronic Health Record Incentive Program for the first time in 2015 to attest between now and August 14, 2015. Eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in meaningful use for the first time this year may attest to a 90-day reporting period for fiscal year (FY) 2015. CMS is allowing eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in meaningful use for the first time the ability to attest. The hospitals must first register in the CMS Registration and Attestation System at: https://ehrincentives.cms.gov/hitech/login.action. Once the registration is active, the hospital should contact Elizabeth Holland at: elizabeth.holland@cms.hhs.gov and provide the hospital name, CMS Certification Number and contact person information

Payment adjustments will begin in 2015 for providers who are eligible but decide not to participate

No payment adjustments for providers who are only eligible for the Medicaid program

Providers must demonstrate meaningful use every year to receive incentive payments.

In the first year providers can receive an incentive payment for adopting, implementing, or upgrading EHR technology. Providers must demonstrate meaningful use in the remaining years to receive incentive payments.

Incentive payments made through the Medicare Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program are subject to the mandatory reductions in federal spending known as sequestration, required by the Budget Control Act of 2011. As required by law, President Obama issued a sequestration order on March 1, 2013. Under these mandatory reductions, Medicare EHR incentive payments made to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals will be reduced by 2%. This 2% reduction has been applied to any Medicare EHR incentive payment for a reporting period that ended on or after April 1, 2013.

Please note that this reduction does not apply to Medicaid EHR incentive payments, which are exempt from the mandatory reductions.